If u have a flex fuel e85 is a great fuel for temps above 90 degrees especially if it is near $.50 less per gallon. These new motors really hate low temps, when about 40 degrees and lower they drink gasoline.

 

I run E85 and it's great. It's a buck cheaper which is great considering my dealership told me it needs to be 36 cents cheaper to break even. I've personnaly have felt a lot more get up and go out of my truck.

 

My figures showed 20% drop in mileage so right now it would have to be 65 cents cheaper
But it's only 38 cents less here

 

E 85 is 73 cents cheaper here. Use it quite a bit. Can also fill with e 30 and 20. Like using our fuel not foreign. Still think it is interesting that people buy trucks trying to get car mileage. E 85 as stated earlier is a kick to drive. Use it and have fun!

 

It won't be worth it if you are looking to save money. Even the EPA site tells you to expect 30% lower MPGs when using E85. But I plan to run a couple tanks (back to back) through mine annually to help clean things out.

 

Put M in on the hottest days of the summer. Compare on the hottest days and U see a fuel MPG loss for 87 octane that brings E85s power on and U'll appreciate it then. It isn't mileage better but power better at those temps. There is a huge drop off in power for 87 octane around 108 degrees.

 

As I've now owned 2 flex fuel vehicles, I've done quite a bit of digging into this question in the past. My quick conclusion:

• Makes more power (typically) - due to several reasons:
  • Higher octane rating ~105 which means engine doesn't have to de-tune or retard spark plug ignition timing like it might with lower octane rated fuel during load where pinging might occur. (thus the higher peak HP #'s you will likely see from manufacturers)
  • Ethanol (alcohols in general) has more of a cooling effect when injected into the combustion chamber versus gasoline so slightly more dense air/oxygen will create slightly more power.

However the negatives include,

• requires more quantity when mixed with air for combustion.
  • Thus the reason you see M85 mpg averages around 20-30% less than with blended gasoline. Energy per volume... gasoline stores more than alcohols.
• Higher likelihood of being contaminated with H2O.
  • Ethanol is hygroscopic... it easily absorbs water which can impact the fuels performance and is also why it can't be easily transferred via pipelines, it is typically transported by train or truck in sealed tanks.
• Can be more corrosive on fuel systems because it is an alcohol. Natural rubber and certain plastics chemically react with alcohol in negative ways... mostly they absorb the alcohol which can cause swelling of plastics (leaks/seams fail) and dry out rubber (cracking/leaks).

In Ohio, I've rarely seen E85 priced 25%-30% less than 87 gasoline so unless I'm looking for a performance benefit, I rarely ran it. I would run a couple tanks of E85 through my truck in the fall with the belief it would absorb any excess water in my fuel tank and flush it out before freezing winter temperatures approached?! Always figures that couldn't hurt and might avoid a fuel line freeze up when really cold out.

 

Thanks for posting that up......I would have been googlin all evening to learn that much!

 

ive filled up at many stations in different provinces and have never even seen e85

 

Just put in my fourth tank today, $2.36 vs $3.09. I've went from 15.1 to 14.6 mpg since using e85 and I'm feeling sorry for the guys losing 20-30%. I romp on my truck and just haven't seen those drop offs......yet.